We’ve reached the end of Act I in Jason Aaron and JR Jr.’s Avengers vs. X-Men event. This week’s release of issue four means we’re one-third of the way through the series. If this was a hockey game, now is when things get interesting. Or, in the case of a Sharks playoff game, when the teal & black quit playing.

Fans get a bevy of AvX books this week, every one of which features a fist-in-face slugfest on the cover.

Brian Bendis and Walt Simonson continue developing their Kree/Protector sub-plot in the pages of Avengers 26 (which, coupled with the Shi’ar intrigue simmering in Wolverine and The X-Men, is giving this event the kind of cosmic gravitas that Secret Invasion was lacking). The most exciting thing about Avengers Academy 30 is waiting to see whether or not Hercules is going to drop a “cool story, bro” (he doesn’t). And in Uncanny X-Men 12, Namor kicks the shit out of Luke Cage (not a ballot option) before cracking his knuckles for a rematch with The Thing (this one would’ve been judged a draw).

But points were definitely up for grabs in the pages of the main book, Avengers vs. X-Men 4, as well as issue #2 of the one-and-only tie-in series, Versus. While searching for Hope in The Savage Land, Captain America, on the phone with Iron Man, gets temporarily distracted by that Cajun douchebag Gambit (I will never understand what Rogue saw in that punk). “Tony, can you hold on a second — I need to wipe jambalaya off my shield.” The Versus story, penciled and written by Steve McNiven, makes it joyously clear that this was nothing more than a minor inconvenience for the good Captain. Decision: Captain America.

Match numero dos takes place in Latveria. Spider-Man has had some history with the original Juggernaut… but this ain’t Mamma Marko’s baby boy. Colossus has little patience for the wall-crawler and, frankly, when he quips “That means I have to be unstoppable too,” neither do I. Decision: Colossus.

The leaders through Week 7:

• Maricus C. 25 pts
• Carly W. 25 pts
• Josh D. 20 pts
• Ricky V. 20 pts
• Janson W. 20 pts
• Josh M. 19 pts
• Brian H. 19 pts
• Gus P. 18 pts
• Brian S. 18 pts
• Tyler 18 pts

SNIKT Counter: 5

But wait — there’s more! Since we’re one-third through, we decided to hold another raffle for all eligible contest entrants. Congratulations to Cade I. for winning this fabulous Avengers vs. X-Men starter kit! Cade walks home with Avengers vs. X-Men #1-4, the Avengers vs. X-Men Program Guide, the Free Comic Book Day re-issue of Avengers 1, Kieron Gillen’s Uncanny X-Men 1, Avengers Roll Call, a folded Jim Cheung AvX full-size poster, an AvX mini-poster, an “I Stand with The X-Men” poster, an “I Stand with The Avengers” poster, an “I Stand with The X-Men” button, an “I Stand with The Avengers” button, and two cardboard AvX drink coasters. Whew.